ecover life and motion by the fresh addition of water and
warmth. Thus the chaos redivivum of Linnaeus dwells in vinegar and in
bookbinders paste: it revives by water after having been dried for
years, and is both oviparous and viviparous; Syst. Nat. Thus the
vorticella or wheel animal, which is found in rain water that has
stood some days in leaden gutters, or in hollows of lead on the tops
of houses, or in the slime or sediment left by such water, though it
discovers no sign of life except when in the water, yet it is capable
of continuing alive for many months though kept in a dry state. In
this state it is of a globulous shape, exceeds not the bigness of a
grain of sand, and no signs of life appear; but being put into water,
in the space of half an hour a languid motion begins, the globule
turns itself about, lengthens itself by slow degrees, assumes the form
of a lively maggot, and most commonly in a few minutes afterwards puts
out its wheels, swimming vigorously through the water as if in search
of food; or else, fixing itself by the tail, works the wheels in such
a manner as to bring its food to its mouth; English Encyclopedia, Art.
Animalcule.

Thus some shell-snails in the cabinets of the curious have been kept
in a dry state for ten years or longer, and have revived on being
moistened with warmish water; Philos. Transact. So eggs and seeds
after many months torpor, are revived by warmth and moisture; hence it
may be concluded, that even the organic particles of dead animals may,
when exposed to a due degree of warmth and moisture, regain some
degree of vitality, since this is done by more complicate animal
organs in the instances above mentioned.

The hydra of Linnaeus, which dwells in the rivers of Europe under
aquatic plants, has been observed by the curious of the present time,
to revive after it has been dried, to be restored after being
mutilated, to multiply by being divided, to be propagated from small
portions, to live after being inverted; all which would be best
explained by the doctrine of spontaneous reproduction from organic
particles not yet completely decomposed.

To this should be added, that these microscopic animals are found in
all solutions of vegetable or animal matter in water; as black pepper
steeped in water, hay suffered to become putrid in water, and the
water of dunghills, afford animalcules in astonishing numbers. See Mr.
Ellis's curious account of Animalcules produced from an in